UK Higher Education 2013: Are we still struggling with ‘internationalisation’?

1. UK Higher Education 2013: Are we still struggling with ‘internationalisation’? Sheila Trahar Graduate School of Education, University of Bristol, s.trahar@bristol.ac.uk

2. A Fellow Traveller’s Journey • Why ‘struggling’ with ‘internationalisation’? • Is there anything new to say? Definitions? • What IS the UK government’s ‘internationalisation strategy’? • Can we learn from others’ definitions of internationalisation? • Is ‘global responsibility’ a ‘good thing’? If so, what is our responsibility to foster it and how do we do so? • A staging post – for now

3. ‘The Story Never Stops Beginning and Ending…’ ‘By embarking on a more personal journey of internationalisation in higher education, lives can be enhanced through learning and teaching strategies that celebrate diversity and are respectful and inclusive. Such strategies can challenge all of us to come to terms with our “histories and cultural inheritances” so that fewer people are disadvantaged by particular systems and “future hauntings” can be prevented’ (Trahar, 2011, p.147)

4. The Back Story

5. The Back Story All of my research has emphasised the importance of students/researchers feeling ‘included’ in the ‘cultures’, in particular learning and teaching cultures Foregrounded the importance of recognising and challenging dominant academic practices – ethnorelative not ethnocentric Continuous reflection on my own beliefs and values in particular in relation to learning and teaching (e.g. Trahar, 2007, 2011, 2013) Striving to maintain openness and encourage dialogue through ‘unhomeliness’ Seeking to understand ways in which learning and teaching are mediated in myriad contexts But do people want to ‘feel included’? ‘Included’ in what?

6. ‘Internationalisation’ ‘Globalization is the context of economic and academic trends that are part of the reality of the 21st century. Internationalization includes the policies, practices undertaken by academic systems and institutions – and even individuals – to cope with the global academic environment…Globalization may be unalterable but internationalization involves many choices’ (Altbach & Knight, 2007; 290-291, my emphasis)

7. ‘Internationalisation’ ‘An ethos of mutuality and practices geared at strengthening cooperation…By encouraging greater internationalisation across teaching, research and service activities, the quality of higher education can be enriched’ (Kreber, 2009, p.24)

8. ‘Internationalisation’ ‘Genuine globalisation should be grounded in cross-cultural fertilisation and mutual learning rather than conformity and convergence to a universal set of benchmarks that deter or discourage diverse local features…Internationalisation is not the same as Europeanisation or Americanisation. It should be genuinely international...appreciating diversity and plurality across nations and societies’ (Cheung, 2012, p.106)

9. ‘UK Internationalisation Strategy’? International Education: Global Growth and Prosperity

10. ‘UK Internationalisation Strategy’? • ‘Internationalisation has many facets that include international student and staff mobility, partnerships and collaboration in research and teaching and the internationalisation of curricula’ (BIS, 2013, p.3) The Wider Benefits of International Higher Education in the UK • ‘UK’s sheer cosmopolitanism can result in sub-optimal integration of international and home students’ (BIS, 2013, p.xvi) • ‘Cosmopolitanism and interculturalsensitivity…the benefit arose through integration in a globally diverse student body, but was markedly less where they chose not to integrate or circumstances limited this. In a few cases there had been limited integration with UK students or society’ (BIS, 2013, p.xii)

11. ‘UK Internationalisation Strategy’? • Second only to the USA in its ability to attract students from other countries. In 2011/2012, 16.8% of all students in UK higher education were defined as ‘international’ i.e. coming from outside of the European Union (EU) • At postgraduate level study, 69% of full-time taught postgraduates and 46% of all taught postgraduates were international, with 41% of all research postgraduates falling within that category (2011/12) • Such students contribute more than £8 billion annually to the UK economy (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, 2013) • Second most popular destination in the world for PhD researchers. • By 2024 there will be 568,000 international students in the UK, 29% up on 2011 – but far less than government’s anticipated 15% to 20% annual growth over the next five years (British Council)

12. International Higher Education – the Future? • China and India will see the largest growth in HE participation • Huge potential for growth in Africa • Mobility is still mainly from Global South to Global North and from Asia to the main English speaking countries • UK, US, Australia, Canada, Germany will continue to dominate • China, Malaysia, India – developing as major host countries • MOOCs – danger of neocolonialism – US academic experience and pedagogical ideas

13. International Higher Education – the Future? • 2012 – UKBA requires HEIs to report ‘engagement’ of Tier 4 visa students on a monthly basis • ‘No cap on the number of students who can come to study in the UK and no intention to introduce one’ (July, 2013) • PhD graduates can remain for up to a year to work • 80% of those from India, China and South Korea completing a PhD in the US – stay • Continuing greater diversity – and its challenges

14. International Higher Education – the Future? ‘Despite the power and influence of the emerging economies, the world remains decidedly more westernised than it is ‘Japanised’ or ‘Africanised’ or ‘Confucianised’…the balance in cultural integration can only be attained through creating space for multiple cultural identities to flourish in HE settings’ (Maringe & Woodfield, 2013, p.5).

15. ‘Internationalisation’ and Malaysia What are the issues that arise when teaching in a context that is increasingly diverse, culturally, in particular when learners are from outside the ‘local’ context of Malaysia?

16. ‘Internationalisation’ and Malaysia • Language and communication barriers • Plagiarism • Students are passive, demanding, aggressive, complaining • Students have different values • They do not mix with local students • They have unrealistic expectations • There is a lack of familiarity with the system/terms • They do not like groupwork • They challenge grades and look for the easy way out

17. ‘Internationalisation’ and Malaysia • Internationalisation of higher education a significant factor in increasing ‘Malaysians’ international awareness and developing a sense of national pride’ (Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia, 2011, p.23) • It will accelerate the country towards Vision 2020 and its aspiration to join the league of developed nations. • MoHE ‘Internationalisation Policy’ draws on definitions that foreground the importance of integrating international elements into all of a university’s functions. The document’s main emphasis, however, is on mobility.

18. ‘Internationalisation’ and Hong Kong ‘A wide spectrum of issues, including curriculum design, research collaboration, international faculty mix, student recruitment, integration of all students on campus…The UGC sees internationalisation with Mainland China as the key to Hong Kong’s future and that it should be actively pursued by the UGC-funded institutions’ (UGC Annual Report, 2011- 2012).

19. ‘Internationalisation’ and Hong Kong • Little effort has been made to ‘internationalise’ the curriculum and to ‘integrate’ students on campus • The majority of ‘international students’ are from Mainland China • Language complexities – teaching is in English – or is it? • Local student resistance

20. Internationalisation of the Curriculum? ‘We must…never provide the people with programs which have little or nothing to do with their own preoccupations, doubts, fears and hopes…It is not our role to speak to the people about our own view of the world, nor to impose that view on them, but rather to dialogue with the people about their view and ours’ (Pedagogy of the Oppressed)

21. Internationalisation of the Curriculum ‘The incorporation of an international and intercultural dimension into the content of the curriculum as well as the teaching and learning arrangements and support services of a program of study’ (Leask, 2009, p.209) ‘Curricula, pedagogies and assessments that foster understanding of global perspectives and how these interact with the local and the personal; inter-cultural capabilities in terms of actively engaging with other cultures; and responsible citizenship in terms of addressing different value systems’ (Clifford, 2009, p.135)

22. Internationalisation of the Curriculum • ‘Who shapes the culture of learning and intellectual HE spaces and who determines the norms of discourse’? (Turner & Robson, 2008; 11) • How are globalising processes ‘mediated on the ground, in the flesh and inside the head…as these intersect with their lives and identities’? (Kenway & Fahey, 2006; 267) • A ‘third space pedagogy’? (Ryan & Viete, 2009; 305)

23. Internationalisation of the Curriculum • Lack of awareness of ways in which learning and teaching are culturally mediated can result in teaching approaches that are ethnocentric and thus may be exclusionary • We are all ‘core players in the process’ – and therefore need to take some responsibility for ensuring inclusivity – including ‘modelling’ good practice • Most students (people) need to be encouraged to move out of their ‘comfort zone’ and engage with others

24. ‘Inclusivity’ through the Curriculum? • Internationalisation of the Curriculum - often rationalised because of the importance of developing ‘global citizens’ • Global citizenship –responsibility to act in the interests of social justice – or cultural imperialism (Mertova & Green, 2010)? • ‘Soft power’? Ways of achieving international objectives through attraction and co-option rather than coercion –to promote cultural understanding and avoid cultural misunderstanding

25. ‘Inclusivity’? • Importance of shared faith for Muslim international students – ‘discovery of the importance of sameness…undermines the contrasting claims that…globalisation will lead to an embracing of cultural diversity’ (Brown, 2009, p.65) • In Malaysia, faith a determining factor in the decision of students from Muslim countries to study there • Feeling a sense of belonging - strong emphasis on friendships with local Malaysians • ‘Same-culture networks are not a universal panacea’ (Sawir et al.2008, p.148) – importance of adequate pastoral care • Importance of social networking sites (SNS) – ‘contributed to their online bridging capital and social adjustments’ (Lin et al., 2012, p.436)

26. A ‘Global Citizen’ • Aware of the wider world, sense of one’s own role as a world citizen • Respects and values diversity • Has an understanding of how the world works economically, politically, socially, culturally, technologically and environmentally • Is outraged by social injustice

27. A ‘Global Citizen’ • Participates in and contributes to the community at a range of levels from local to global • Is willing to make the world a more sustainable place and • Take responsibility for their actions (Oxfam, 2006)

28. A ‘Global Citizen’? • ‘As we learn to live sustainable and just lives so we form embodied identities that connect us to diverse others with renewed feelings for global responsibility’ (Seidler, 2010, p.190) • ‘The global imagination…is more often than not an expression of corporate cosmopolitanism…we need an embodied, grounded cosmopolitanism that is attuned to addressing the challenges of our contemporary world, while drawing on the resources of multiple cultures to develop an ethics of care and hospitality’ (Sidhu & Dall’Alba, 2013, p.428)

29. ‘The Story Never Stops Beginning and Ending…’ ‘By embarking on a more personal journey of internationalisation in higher education, lives can be enhanced through learning and teaching strategies that celebrate diversity and are respectful and inclusive. Such strategies can challenge all of us to come to terms with our ‘histories and cultural inheritances’ so that fewer people are disadvantaged by particular systems and ‘future hauntings’ can be prevented’ (Trahar, 2011, p.147)

30. ‘The Story Never Stops Beginning and Ending…’ As an educator I believe I have a responsibility: • To challenge what can be ‘rhetoric and bland mission statements’ of internationalisation • To do what I can to effect social justice • To continue to encourage less emphasis on ‘international students’ and more emphasis on ‘us’ • To continue to question myself – and be open to others’ beliefs, values, actions I continue to believe in the possibilities of internationalisation of higher education • The fellow traveller’s journey continues…

31. References • Altbach, P. & Knight, J. (2007) The internationalization of higher education: motivations and realities. Journal of Studies in International Education, 11 (3/4), 290 – 305 • Brown, L. (2009) International Students in England: Finding Belonging through Islam. Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, 29 (1), 57 – 67 • Cheung, A.B.L. (2012) How Hong Kong universities balance the global and the regional. In B. Adamson, J. Nixon & F. Su(Eds.) The Reorientation of Higher Education: Challenging the East-West Dichotomy (pp95-112). Hong Kong, Comparative Education Research Centre, University of Hong Kong/Springer. • Clifford, V. (2009) Engaging the disciplines in internationalising the curriculum. International Journal for Academic Development, 14 (2), 133-143. • Freire, P. (1972) Pedagogy of the oppressed. Harmondsworth: Penguin. • Great Britain Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (2013) The wider benefits of international higher education in the UK. • Hong Kong University Grants Committee (2012) UGC Annual Report 2011 – 2012. • Kenway, J. & Fahey, J. (2006) The research imagination in a world on the move Globalisation, Societies and Education, 4 (2), 261-274. • Kreber, C. (2009) Different perspectives on internationalization in higher education. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 118, 1-1 • Leask, B. (2009) Using formal and informal curricula to improve interactions between home and international students. Journal of Studies in International Education, 13 (2), 205-221 • Lin, J-H., Peng, W., Kim, M., Sung, Y.K. & LaRose, R. (2011) Social networking and adjustments among international students. New Media and Society, 14 (3), 421-440

32. References • Maringe, F. & Woodfield, S. (2013) Emerging internationalization models in an uneven global terrain. Compare, 43 (1), 9-36 • Mertova, P. & Green, W. (2010) Internationalising teaching and learning: Perspectives and issues voiced by senior academics at one Australian university. http://www.proceedings.com.au/isana/docs/2010/paper_mertova.pdf • Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia (2011) Internationalisation policy for higher education Malaysia 2011 • Oxfam Development Education Program. (2006). Education for global citizenship: a guide for schools. Retrieved 19 October 2010 from http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/gc/files/education_for_global _citizenship_a_guide_for_schools.pdf • Ryan, J. & Viete, R. (2009) Respectful interactions: learning with international students in the English-speaking academy. Teaching in Higher Education, 14 (3), 303-314 • Sawhir, E., Marginson, S., Deumert, A., Nyland, C. & Ramia, G. (2008) Loneliness and International Students: An Australian Study. Journal of Studies in International Education, 12 (2), 148 -180. • Seidler, V. (2010) Embodying identities: culture, differences and social theory. Bristol: The Policy Press • Sidhu, R.K. & Dall’Alba, G. (2013) International Education and (Dis) embodied Cosmopolitans. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 44 (4), 413 -431 • Trahar, S. (2007). Teaching and learning: The international higher education landscape. Some theories and working practices. Available to download at http://escalate.ac.uk/3559

33. References • Trahar, S. (2011). Developing cultural capability in international higher education: A narrative inquiry. Oxon, England/New York, NY: Routledge • Trahar, S. (2013) Autoethnographic journeys in learning and teaching in higher education European Educational Research Journal, 12 (3), 367-375 • Turner, Y., & Robson, S. (2008). Internationalizing the university. London, England: Continuum.